The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has slammed the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for calling on its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to step down ahead of the 2027 election.
NEWSNGR reports that Kwankwaso, during an interview on Channel Television, said he told some Fulani groups to prevail on Atiku to withdraw from the presidential race.
Reacting, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement described the remark as reckless, self-serving and a desperate attempt to advance President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ologbodiyan said Kwankwaso was not committed to the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi or the opposition’s move to defeat Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
According to Ologbodiyan, Kwankwaso’s support for Peter Obi is driven more by his personal ambition than by a genuine commitment to the opposition’s collective objective of defeating the APC.
The statement read, “The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has berated Senator @KwankwasoRM over his call for former Vice President @atiku Abubakar to step down for Mr @PeterObi, describing the statement as reckless, self-serving and a desperate attempt to advance President @officialABAT’s political interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar, the ADC candidate, whom millions of Nigerians believe can restore economic stability and make life affordable again.
“What Kwankwaso is doing amounts to advancing President Tinubu’s interests. It is a familiar APC strategy to use willing collaborators within the opposition to create confusion, sow division, and weaken the collective efforts to bring about political change.
“Nigerians are not fooled. There is a growing perception that Kwankwaso’s support for Peter Obi is driven more by his personal ambition than by a genuine commitment to the opposition’s collective objective of defeating the APC.
“Kwankwaso must come to terms with the realities of the national political landscape. His influence should not be confused with the capacity to win a presidential election. If his political relevance were as extensive as he suggests, why did he finish fourth in the last presidential election?
“Atiku Abubakar is a cosmopolitan, detribalised, and nationally recognised political figure who has built relationships across the North, South, East, and West over more than three decades.
“Our campaign, however, invites Kwankwaso and his allies to reconsider their position and support the formidable candidacy of Atiku Abubakar,” Ologbondiyan said.
“Atiku remains our preferred pathway to defeating President Tinubu and ending the hunger, poverty, and insecurity that the APC administration has foisted on our nation.”
